As the 2026 Formula 1 season finally resumes after a five-week break, Your Site F1 assess the key talking points heading into the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
The 2026 season represented a new dawn for F1 as the sport continued its push to be more sustainable by increasing electronic power in the latest cars to 50 per cent.
The move was always going to come with some challenges and the sport's bosses were aware tweaks would likely be required to optimise the action.
The gap in the schedule opened up by the cancellations of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to conflict in the Middle East gave the FIA, the sport's governing body, a perfect opportunity to reflect on the opening three rounds and implement some changes.
Alterations being introduced in Miami focus on energy deployment and are particularly aimed at helping the drivers attack a qualifying lap in a more natural flat-out way and, in the race, ensuring there are less drastic closing speeds present between cars at unwanted parts of the circuit.
It will be fascinating to find out what the drivers make of the impact of the adjustments, particularly Max Verstappen, who has been highly critical of elements of the new regulations during the early stages of the season.
A completely separate element of the regulations may also be in the spotlight, with the FIA soon expected to confirm which of the five power unit manufacturers are going to be given the opportunity to make upgrades and catch up to whoever is adjudged to have the best engine.
Politics are already at play, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff questioning how much opportunity the likes of Ferrari should be given to improve. Meanwhile, Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies has dismissed speculation that his team actually has the best engine despite their poor start to the season.
The season had barely got under way - with three rounds in Australia, China and Japan - before the action was paused, but there was no doubt about who the early front-runners were, with Mercedes winning all three Grands Prix along with the first Sprint of the season in Shanghai.
Ferrari were clearly their closest challengers at the first two rounds, but McLaren produced a much-improved display in Japan that suggested the reigning constructors' champions were starting to get to grips with the new regulations.
Given it is the start of a new regulations cycle, every team was expected to bring major early-season upgrades, but the break means that the upgrade sheet released by the FIA on Friday morning in Miami is likely to be one of the longest you'll ever see.
While a complete reshuffle of the order is highly unlikely, it's not impossible that the likes of Ferrari or McLaren could take a step which brings them far closer to Mercedes. However, it works both ways, and the Silver Arrows could also extend their advantage if they've got things right.
Speaking on Monday, Your Site F1's Martin Brundle said: "It's like a relaunch of the season. Teams are going to turn up with dramatically changed and hopefully improved cars. We don't know who's going to get right.
"I think it's going to be the story of the season, actually, with such a massive change that we've had for 2026, so I'm really looking forward to it."
While Mercedes' strong start was what many had expected after pre-season, George Russell finding himself trailing his teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the drivers' standings after three rounds is undoubtedly a surprise.
You'd imagine neither of the pair would have been particularly happy about having to wait five weeks to race again, with Antonelli unable to build on the momentum of successive wins in China and Japan, and Russell left to stew on the fact he's not leading the championship.
While Ferrari and McLaren will hope to challenge Mercedes in Miami, it would be a major surprise if the Silver Arrows weren't at the very least in contention for victory in Florida.
Antonelli's strong start has already created something of a shift in dynamic, with Russell's status as the team's clear leader and obvious title contender under some threat, and Wolff being asked questions about the prospect of his drivers battling for honours.
Russell will be intent on erasing Antonelli's nine-point advantage as quickly as possible, and Miami being the second Sprint weekend of the season gives him an extra opportunity to make ground.
However, one of the most impressive performances of Antonelli's debut campaign last year came in Miami as he took Sprint pole and then also outqualified Russell in the full-length session.
Lewis Hamilton looked completely revitalised over the first two rounds and closed out the season-opening back-to-back by claiming his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari in China.
The seven-time world champion appeared far more comfortable in the much-changed 2026 cars as he engaged in thrilling battles with his team-mate Charles Leclerc, notably coming out on top in Shanghai.
However, there was a major regression in Japan as Hamilton resembled the driver that had struggled in the latter stages of 2025 and was well off the pace of Leclerc throughout the weekend.
The 41-year-old has not enjoyed much success across the first four editions of the Miami Grand Prix, never having improved upon the sixth place he claimed in both qualifying and the race when it debuted on the F1 calendar in 2022.
With Leclerc having a pole position and two podiums to his name in Miami, it promises to be a stern test of Hamilton's aspirations to contend for a record eighth drivers' title this year.
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Your Site F1.
